No 'split' in Rossport Five

The Rossport Five have dismissed as "pure propaganda" a front page story in the Sunday Times on 25 July claiming that they have "split", with Brendan Philbin, one of the five, supposedly breaking away from the other four.

The twin tenets of the "split" claim were that Brendan Philbin "is now pursuing his case against Shell through a separate legal strategy", and that he "not taken any part in the group's discussions for about two months".

In fact, Brendan Philbin has had a separate legal team from the other four men for several years, as he and another landowner were involved in litigation against Shell – over plans to lay the Corrib gas pipeline through his land – long before he was jailed at Shell's request in June 2005.

On the second point, Philbin is not taking part in the mediation process with Shell facilitated by Peter Cassells, a fact which the other men say they have no problem with. Brendan Philbin confirmed to Village that he has attended the group's weekly meetings since being released from prison last September.

The men were angered by a line in the article stating: "None of the five could be contacted for comment last week," which they say implies that they had "gone to ground", thereby lending credibility to the story.

Each of the men says that they were unaware of any attempt by the newspaper to contact them and that they have been available for comment at all times.

When contacted by Village, the author of the article, political correspondent Stephen O'Brien said: "Whoever I got numbers for I attempted to contact... I'm not saying there was an answering machine at the end of every phone... I'd have to look over my notes... I got as many phone numbers as I could."

WILLIAM HEDERMAN